S1 Pro system Auto EQ

Question

What is Auto EQ?

Auto EQ is a feature of the S1 Pro System that optimizes the sound depending on how you use it (on a speaker stand, table top, or the floor).

The Issue

If you take a loudspeaker and put it on a speaker stand, then a tabletop, and then on the floor, the sound will change. When the speaker is on a tabletop or the floor, it is interacting with the boundaries (tabletop, floor, walls, and ceiling too). This means if you want great sound in all situations you have to EQ the loudspeaker.

The Solution

The S1 Pro System uses an accelerometer to determine if it is in the tilt-back, horizontal or vertical position. It also has a switch inside the pole cup to determine if it is mounted on a speaker stand. Based on the orientation and the switch, the S1 Pro System automatically applies the correct EQ.

Bose tuned the S1 Pro to sound great in all four positions (speaker stand, tabletop, floor (both tilt-back and horizontal)) taking into account the boundaries. And the engineers carefully considered how you would be using the S1 Pro. That's why there are two settings for the floor (tilt-back and monitor).

What Auto EQ is Doing

If you could put the S1 Pro in a free field here's what you will hear.

⇒ Using the speaker stand position as a reference (basically, flat):

⇒ Table top: a little less bass than speaker stand

⇒ Tilt-back: a little less bass than Table top.

⇒ Horizontal: about the same as Tilt-back except there's some EQ treatment to support use as a monitor.

Can I disable Auto EQ

No. The S1 Pro System was engineered to sound the same (at a distance) regardless of whether you use on a speaker stand, tabletop or on the floor.

Note: If the switch in the pole cup is depressed (as it is when the S1 Pro system is mounted on a speaker stand), the accelerometer is disabled. Changing the orientation of S1 Pro system will not change the EQ. See Pole Cup Switch

Related discussion in the Bose Portable PA Community: Can I bypass Auto EQ?

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